Event Highlights: European Conference at Harvard – Europe 2.0 Taking the Next Step
The Center for the Study of Europe at Boston University, together with the Center for European Studies at Harvard, the European Affairs Society at the Fletcher School, and the MIT European Career Fair, co-sponsored last week’s European Conference at Harvard: Europe 2.0 Taking the Next Step. The aim of the conference, which was jointly organized by the European Clubs at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and at Harvard Business School, was to provide a forum to discuss Europe with the business, economic and political leaders of today and tomorrow, to discuss solutions and visions for Europe for the next 20 years, and to spark interest in key European topics more broadly. In mounting the conference, the organizers were arguing for Europe’s continued economic and political relevance.
The two-day event brought together over 30 international speakers including Pierre Vimont, Secretary-General of the European External Action Service and former French Ambassador to the US; Guy Verhofstadt, Former Prime Minister of Belgium (1999-2008) and President of the Liberal and Democratic Alliance in the European Parliament; Thomas Mayr-Harting, Head of the EU Delegation to the United Nations; Rafael del Pino, Chairman of Ferrovial; Connie Hedegaard, European Commissioner for Climate Action; and several others. Karel De Gucht, European Commissioner for Trade Policy, gave the opening speech, arguing in favor of a transatlantic trade agreement.
Vivien Schmidt, Jean Monnet Professor of European Integration and Director of the Center for the Study of Europe, moderated Pierre Vimont’s keynote address “A European Agenda in Foreign Policy.” Pictures of the session, which was introduced by Irish Consul General Michael Lonergan, are below. The second album includes pictures from a dinner reception hosted by Professor Schmidt on the evening preceding the conference.
